Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what services his Department has received from the Behavioural Insights Team since 2014.

Mr John Hayes: The Department for Transport has received services from the Behavioural Insights Team since 2014. This has enabled the department to add to its evidence base to support priority government areas. Since January 2011, details of central government contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts published prior to 26 February 2015 can be viewed at:https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive Those published after 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Cycling: Safety

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will include, as part of the Think public information campaign on road safety, messages which highlights the risks of harm to cyclists and motorbike riders when people open car doors without looking to see who is coming up behind them.

Jesse Norman: We are committed to improving safety for all vulnerable road users. We will continue to deliver safety advice to motorcyclists, cyclists, motorists and pedestrians through the THINK! and THINK BIKER social media channels, and work with partners to develop cycling/motorcycling campaign messages that raise awareness of specific dangers, including those mentioned. The purpose of THINK! is to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads. Campaign priorities are determined on this basis. They are thoroughly researched and evidenced using casualty data, road safety literature and audience insight.

Aviation: Compensation

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that air passengers can effectively and easily access compensation for long flight delays under EU Regulation 261/2004.

Jesse Norman: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has been designated by the Secretary of State for Transport as the National Enforcement Body (NEB) for Regulation (EC) 261/2004 regarding compensation, and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding, and of cancellation and long delay of flights. The CAA offers advice to passengers and is able to take enforcement action against airlines that are not fulfilling their obligations. In addition, the Government and the CAA, have introduced an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme into the sector, which now covers more than 70% of passengers. The provision of ADR services for consumer disputes stemming from contracts for aviation services is designed to benefit consumers and lead to quick, fair, low cost (if not free) and binding solutions to their problems. ADR means passengers can settle disputes without asking a court to decide on the issue.

Tyne and Wear Metro: Rolling Stock

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce a decision on the delivery of a new train fleet for the Tyne and Wear Metro.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport and HM Treasury officials continue to work with Nexus regarding their proposals for new rolling stock on the Metro.

Tyne and Wear Metro: Finance

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's plans are for funding of the Tyne and Wear Metro after the current funding arrangement ends in 2021.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport is currently in discussions with Nexus about funding options for the renewal of the Metro fleet. These discussions include consideration of revenue and capital support for the existing network beyond the current funding arrangement.

Railways: Repairs and Maintenance

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on their powers to take noise abatement enforcement against companies undertaking engineering work on the railways with respect to the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and section 122 of the Railways Act 1993.

Paul Maynard: It is local authorities who are responsible for enforcing the requirements of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and section 122 of the Railways Act 1993. The ORR as the regulator of the rail industry is responsible for ensuring that engineering work is carried appropriately and those undertaking these tasks have adequate systems and procedures to ensure compliance with these Acts.

Heathrow Airport: Railways

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on bringing forward a new southern rail access link to Heathrow Airport.

Paul Maynard: On 25 October 2016, this Government announced that a Northwest Runaway at Heathrow Airport, combined with a package of supporting measures, was its preferred scheme to deliver additional airport capacity in the South East of England. The supporting measures would include improved rail access to the airport and we are actively looking at what we could do to accelerate these. The next step for the proposed Southern Rail Access is a GRIP 1-2 study to permit informed option appraisal. This is being considered alongside the detailed development of Western Rail Access plans for the airport, in order to ensure that we provide maximum benefit for airport and non-airport passengers and exploit the new journey opportunities this may provide.

High Speed Two: Redundancy

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 7698, on High Speed Two: Redundancy, whether he has plans to publish the (a) new governance arrangements and (b) senior appointments.

Paul Maynard: HS2 Ltd is working with the Department for Transport to agree new governance arrangements relating to redundancy payments including a revised Framework Document which will become public when finalised.The senior appointments at HS2 Ltd include a new Interim Finance Director, and a permanent Finance Director who has been appointed and will start in early 2018. Work is underway to appoint a permanent HR Director. In addition, there have been a number of other senior appointments in both teams including Finance Managers, Senior HR Business Managers, a Head of Employee Relations and an Interim Director of Organisational Development. Some of these posts are new roles and some have arisen as a consequence of HS2’s relocation to Birmingham.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much and what proportion of the funding available for the second phase of High Speed 2 has been allocated to (a) contingency and (b) rolling stock.

Paul Maynard: The 2015 Spending Review set a funding envelope for Phase Two of £28.55bn (in 2015 prices). Following the transfer of scope of Crewe Tunnel between phases, £3.48bn has been allocated to Phase 2a and £25.07bn to Phase 2b (including provision for rolling stock). HS2 Ltd is expected to manage all elements of the delivery of Phase 2b from within the overall funding provision. As such, there is no separately designated Rolling Stock budget within the Phase 2b allocation. The amount of contingency available in these allocations has been calculated in line with HM Treasury’s Green Book guidance. Further detail can be found in the Phase Two financial case: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629165/high-speed-two-phase-two-financial-case.pdf

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Eddisbury

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many environmental surveys have been conducted on the proposed route of the second phase of High Speed 2 through Eddisbury; and how many land access agreements have been signed between HS2 Ltd and property owners in Eddisbury.

Paul Maynard: As of the week ending 8-9-17, approximately 217 environmental surveys had been recorded in and around the Eddisbury area. To date, HS2 Ltd has recorded a total of 90 land access licences as having been agreed entirely or partially within Eddisbury. The corresponding number for those entirely within Eddisbury is 52. These figures are subject to change.

Home Office

Islam

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to prevent subscription to Islamic extremist groups or ideology within the UK.

Sarah Newton: The Government is committed to defeating extremism wherever it occurs, and is establishing a Commission for Countering Extremism to support this effort. The Commission will identify extremism and advise the Government on how best to tackle it. It will also support communities and the public sector to confront all forms of extremism and promote and defend our fundamental values.This builds on existing work under the Government’s comprehensive Counter-Extremism Strategy to countering extremist ideology, develop partnerships with all those opposed to extremism, disrupt the most dangerous extremists, and build cohesive communities.

Home Office: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what services her Department has received from the Behavioural Insights Team since 2014.

Mr Ben  Wallace: Since 2014 the Home Office have worked with the Behavioural Insights Team on a number of policy evaluations across the department.

Immigration: Yorkshire and the Humber

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been classified as having no recourse to public funds in (a) Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle constituency, (b) Hull City Council area and (c) the East Riding of Yorkshire Council area in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office does not publish this data in the format requested.

Immigration: Yorkshire and the Humber

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been classified as having no recourse to public funds in (a) Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle constituency, (b) Hull City Council area and (c) the East Riding of Yorkshire Council area in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on the 19th September 2017 to UIN 9894

Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the comments of the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, Max Hill QC, published in the Independent newspaper on 19 August 2017, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the use of disruptive arrests, charges and sentences as part of the criminal justice response to terror suspects.

Mr Ben  Wallace: On 4 June 2017 the Prime Minister announced that the Government would review the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy to make sure the police and security services have all the powers and capabilities they need to keep our country safe. This review is ongoing.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Local Government: Minimum Wage

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities to tackle non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage.

Margot James: Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) enforce the National Minimum Wage on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). In 2016/17, HMRC identified £10.9m of underpayments, owed to 98,000 workers. The enforcement budget has been increased to £25.3m for 2017/18.Effective communications are an integral part of our strategy for promoting compliance. Both BEIS and HMRC provide information and guidance to help employers ensure they are compliant, and we encourage Local Authorities and other agencies to use these resources and others to support employer compliance.

New Businesses and Small Businesses: Government Assistance

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what (a) grants and (b) other financial support his Department provides to (i) small and (ii) start-up businesses.

Margot James: British Business Bank Programmes are supporting almost £3.5bn of finance to over 56,000 smaller businesses, and participating in a further £5.5bn to 81 mid-cap businesses (as at December 2016).These figures are published in this Department’s annual report[1] and in the British Business Bank’s annual report[2].I am pleased to note that since 2012 in the hon. Member’s constituency of Feltham and Heston, 67 start-up loans have been drawn down to a value of £497,547. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/641623/beis-annual-report-accounts-2016-17-update-2-web.pdf[2] https://annualreport2017.british-business-bank.co.uk/

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on whether the framework of the Six Party Talks on North Korea's nuclear programme provides the most appropriate framework for multilateral negotiations on that programme.

Boris Johnson: The UK stands ready to support negotiations whether in the Six Party Talks or another agreed format. As I told Parliament in my statement on 5 September, just as North Korea has pursued nuclear weapons with single-minded determination, so the international community must show the same resolve in our pursuit of a diplomatic solution.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received from those EU Member States who abstained in the vote on UN General Assembly Resolution 71/292 on their decision to abstain.

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of 22 EU member states abstaining in the vote on UN General Assembly Resolution 71/292 on diplomatic relations with those states.

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Governments of those EU member states who abstained in the vote on UN General Assembly Resolution 71/292 on their decision to abstain.

Sir Alan Duncan: The vote on the UN General Assembly Resolution 71/292 was a disappointing outcome. Sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory is clearly a matter for the UK and Mauritius to resolve ourselves. Taking this bilateral issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) through the General Assembly is an inappropriate use of the ICJ mechanism. This is reflected in the fact that over half of General Assembly members did not vote in favour of the resolution. We will continue to work with EU and other partners in order to present the UK's position effectively at the International Court of Justice.

North Korea: Sanctions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support the work of the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee and the Panel of Experts assisting that committee.

Boris Johnson: The UK takes an active role as a member of the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee. The UK has also funded a number of outreach activities by the Panel of Experts, which supports the Committee, to promote the effective implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions. The UK also provides substantive information in response to the Panel's Request for Information letters.

North Korea: Sanctions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the Government plans to submit its report on the UK's implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2371 to the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee.

Boris Johnson: ​The Government plans to submit its implementation report for UN Security Council Resolution 2371 within 90 days of the Resolution's adoption date of 5 August 2017.

North Korea: Sanctions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in EU member states on the potential imposition of new EU sanctions on North Korea.

Boris Johnson: I discussed the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) with my European counterparts at the EU Foreign Ministers meeting in Tallinn on 7-8 September. A peaceful solution to this crisis requires a concerted international effort to maximise political and economic pressure on the leadership in Pyongyang and bring the DPRK back to the negotiating table. The EU needs to play its part by stepping up this pressure.

North Korea: Sanctions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the number of UN member states that have not submitted implementation reports on (a) UN Security Council Resolution 2270 and (b) UN Security Council Resolution 2321 to the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee; and what recent representations he has made to his counterparts in UN member states on their obligation to submit implementation reports to that committee.

Boris Johnson: The 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee has received, as of 9 September 2017, implementation reports from 96 Member States on UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2270 and from 80 Member States on UNSCR 2321. Of the 193 Member States, 97 are yet to submit a report on UNSCR 2270 and 113 on UNSCR 2321. The UK regularly raises the importance of the implementation of UNSCRs, which include the requirement for Member States to submit implementation reports.

North Korea: Sanctions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on whether secondary sanctions should be imposed on individuals, entities and governments in activities prohibited by UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes in addition to the sanctions already set out in such resolutions.

Boris Johnson: The UN Security Council has already – and unanimously – imposed increasingly stringent sanctions on North Korea in order to limit its ability to pursue its nuclear weapons programme. As I made clear in my statement to Parliament on 5 September, the UK is looking at measures that can increase the pressure on Pyongyang to change course. We are working with our international partners to ensure that all existing measures currently in place are fully implemented.

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on whether there should be pre-conditions for any resumption of multilateral diplomacy on North Korea's nuclear programme.

Boris Johnson: We are focused on working with our international partners to increase pressure on the regime so that they change direction and open the way towards peaceful resolution. The international community has universally and repeatedly condemned North Korea's flagrant disregard for international rules and systems. We are united in increasing the pressure on North Korea's leaders to stop their destabilising actions, including their illegal ballistic missile and nuclear tests. The North Korean regime is the cause of this problem, and they will need to show a serious and measurable change in their behaviour to create the right conditions for talks.

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in countries previously involved in the Six Party Talks on North Korea's nuclear programme; and what the likelihood is that such talks will reconvene in 2017.

Boris Johnson: We are working with our international partners, including the five other members of the Six Party Talks, on the need for North Korea to denuclearise and engage in a diplomatic resolution to current tensions. The UK stands ready to support negotiations, under the right circumstances, whether in the Six Party Talks or another agreed format.

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate the Government has made of the number of nuclear weapons controlled by the Government of North Korea within its existing stockpile of such weapons.

Boris Johnson: It is the long-standing policy of the Government not to comment on matters relating to intelligence or national security.

North Korea: Guided Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate the Government has made of the time frame within which the Government of North Korea is likely to develop an operational nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missile.

Boris Johnson: It is the long-standing policy of the Government not to comment on matters relating to intelligence or national security.

North Korea: Sanctions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential humanitarian effects of a decision to impose sanctions on North Korean oil imports on the civilian population of that country.

Boris Johnson: Sanctions imposed as a result of UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs) are aimed at the regime in charge of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) which has continued to pursue illegal nuclear and missile programmes. By targeting the DPRK's exports we are limiting the funds that can be diverted to these programmes.The sanctions are not targeted at the Korean people. The latest resolution reaffirms that the measures imposed by UNSCR 2375 and previous UNSCRs relating to the DPRK illegal weapons programmes "are not intended to have adverse humanitarian consequences for the civilian population of the DPRK". The resolution also reaffirms these measures are not intended to affect negatively or restrict those activities such as food aid, humanitarian assistance, and relief activities in the DPRK for the benefit of the civilian population.We call on the North Korean regime to prioritise the wellbeing of its people over its pursuit of illegal ballistic missile and nuclear programmes.

North Korea: Oil

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the proportion of North Korean oil imports linked to that country's development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

Boris Johnson: ​We judge that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) military, which runs the nuclear weapons or ballistic missiles programmes, is one of the major consumers of oil products in the DPRK.

Malaysia: Corporal Punishment

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Government of Malaysia on introducing public caning under Sharia law.

Mark Field: ​We are aware of the Private Member's Bill proposed by the PAS party to the Malaysian Parliament to expand the jurisdiction of Sharia courts in Malaysia to allow Islamic punishments (hudud). We have a regular dialogue on human rights with the Malaysian government, including at Ministerial level. Former Minister for Asia and the Pacific, Alok Sharma MP, discussed a number of issues, including human rights, with Malaysian Ministers during his visit to Kuala Lumpur in April 2017. Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London meet periodically with representatives of Malaysian Civil Society to hear their concerns. We will continue to monitor human rights issues and internal developments in Malaysia, working with the EU and other foreign missions in Kuala Lumpur, raising our concerns as appropriate.

Qatar: Counter-terrorism

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the Government of Qatar to reduce terrorism and potential conflict in the Middle East.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government regularly raises a range of issues with Qatar. This includes terrorism and regional conflicts, notably Syria, Libya, and Yemen. Discussions on these topics are conducted at all levels – by our officials in Doha and the UK, and in ministerial meetings – including the Sharaka bilateral forum.

South Sudan: Violence

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Government of Sudan on the recent outbreak of violence in South Sudan; and what assistance the Government has offered to the Sudanese Government.

Rory Stewart: The UK Government is deeply concerned by the conflict in South Sudan, which has caused 2 million people to flee to neighbouring countries, including Sudan. The UK Government does not provide any direct funding to the Government of Sudan. However, through the Department for International Development (DFID)’s South Sudanese Refugees and Migration programme, the UK is providing up to £5 million of support this year to meet the essential humanitarian needs of up to 150,000 South Sudanese refugees in Sudan. DFID is also the largest donor to the UN’s Sudan Humanitarian Fund, which provides support to South Sudanese refugees and other vulnerable people in Sudan. We regularly discuss the conflict with the Government of Sudan, and welcome the opening of three humanitarian corridors by the Government, which has allowed aid to be delivered to the most affected populations.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what services his Department has received from the Behavioural Insights Team since 2014.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received services from the Behavioural Insights Team since 2014. This has enabled the department to add to its evidence base to support priority government areas.Since January 2011, details of central government contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts published prior to 26 February 2015 can be viewed at:https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archiveThose published after 26 February 2015 can be viewed at:https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Burma: International Assistance

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for a potential humanitarian intervention and assistance mission in Myanmar.

Mark Field: The Foreign Secretary most recently spoke with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on 17 September. He once again raised our concerns about the continuing violence, the need for any allegations of human rights abuses to be investigated and for humanitarian access to be granted to affected communities. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, made a statement at the 36th session of the Human Rights Council on 11 September which made clear that the UK strongly condemned all violence in Rakhine State and called on all parties to de-escalate tensions and address the humanitarian crisis. Pursuant to the strategy setout in my response to the Urgent Question on 5 September we have also called for a further meeting at the UN Security Council on 13 September which will discuss how humanitarian access can be improved on the ground in Rakhine State.The UK has long been one of the biggest contributors of humanitarian aid for the displaced population in Rakhine State. We have provided over £30 million in humanitarian assistance since 2012, including food and sanitation for over 126,000 people. In the current context, access to the worst affected populations is seriously constrained. We are working at the highest levels with the government, other donors and the UN to improve access and ensure that aid reaches those that need it most. The UK has also committed £10.9 million to meet the needs of displaced Rohingya and the host communities who support them in Bangladesh. Of this, £5m has already been released to provide critical life-saving assistance – such as food, shelter, water and sanitation to those who are fleeing the violence.

Burma: Sexual Offences

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterparts in the Government of Myanmar through the office of the Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict on the International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict and the use of rape as a weapon of war.

Mark Field: The Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, made a statement at the 36th session of the Human Rights Council on 11 September which made clear that the UK strongly condemned all violence in Rakhine State and called on all parties to de-escalate tensions and address the humanitarian crisis.We continue to raise issues of conflict-related sexual violence with the Burmese authorities. In particular we urge them to accept a visit by the Fact Finding Mission established under the UK-sponsored Human Rights Council Resolution in March and to investigate allegations of sexual violence in a thorough and transparent manner in accordance with the principles and best practice set out in the International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict.

Burma: Rohingya

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when last he discussed repression and violence in Rakhine State with Aung San Suu Kyi.

Mark Field: ​The Foreign Secretary most recently spoke with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on 17 September. He one again raised our concerns about the continuing violence, the need for any allegations of human rights abuses to be investigated and for humanitarian access to be granted to affected communities.

Burma: Sanctions

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what sanctions the Government has implemented as a result of human rights abuses in Myanmar.

Mark Field: ​The UK continues rigorously to impose measures under the EU Arms Embargo. These restrictive measures prohibit the supply of equipment or provision of any training which might strengthen the Burmese military's combat capability.

Bangladesh: Refugees

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support the authorities in Bangladesh in taking refuges from Rakhine State, Myanmar.

Mark Field: The UK is the largest bilateral donor in Bangladesh supporting displaced Rohingya refugees and the vulnerable communities which host them. DFID has allocated £20.9 million for responding to humanitarian needs between 2017 and 2022. Via this programme, the UK will deliver support through a joint UN programme and through the NGO Action Contre la Faim. I have spoken with my Ministerial opposite number on these issues on 12 September.In response to the latest violence, the UK has released a further £5 million from existing funds to provide additional critical life-saving assistance – such as food, shelter, water and sanitation to those who are fleeing the violence.

Burma: Rohingya

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Myanmar Government on the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army ceasefire.

Mark Field: ​We note the ceasefire offered by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army to the Burmese Government, and the response of the Government spokesperson. We continue to have discussions with the Burmese Government on the situation in Rakhine. The Foreign Secretary spoke to State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi about the issue on 17 September and our Ambassador raised these issues frequently.The UK's immediate priority is to ensure humanitarian access is provided to those in desperate need. That is why the UK has released a further £5 million from existing funds to provide additional critical life-saving assistance – such as food, shelter, water and sanitation to those who are fleeing the violence.

Burma: Rohingya

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the ceasefire offered by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army to the Myanmar Government in order to allow humanitarian relief to enter Rakhine.

Mark Field: We note the ceasefire offered by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army to the Burmese Government, and the response of the Government spokesperson. We continue to have discussions with the Burmese Government on the situation in Rakhine. The UK’s immediate priority is to ensure humanitarian access is provided to those in desperate need. That is why the UK has released a further£5 million from existing funds to provide additional critical life-saving assistance – such as food, shelter, water and sanitation to those who are fleeing the violence.

Burma: Rohingya

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent meetings his Department has had with the UK Ambassador to the UK on the situation in Rakhine State, Myanmar.

Mark Field: ​We have a regular dialogue with the Burmese Ambassador and others at the Burmese Embassy in London on a range of issues including the situation in Rakhine. The Minister for Asia and the Pacific spoke to the Ambassador on 18 September about the situation in Rakhine and other matters.

North Korea: Sanctions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his oral contribution of 5 September 2017, Official Report, column 91, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in other countries on the potential imposition of multilateral sanctions on North Korean oil imports; and what assessment he has made of the prospects for an agreement by the UN Security Council to impose such sanctions.

Boris Johnson: ​I refer the Rt Hon. Member to my statement on 11 September where I welcomed the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council resolution 2375: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-on-adoption-of-unsc-resolution-on-north-korea. This Resolution will curtail gas, petrol and oil imports as well as significantly limiting North Korea's exports.

North Korea: Sanctions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his oral contribution of 5 September 2017, Official Report, column 87, what recent discussions he has made to his counterpart in China on the implementation by that country of UN sanctions on North Korea; and what specific steps he has urged the Chinese Government to take to improve the implementation of sanctions.

Boris Johnson: I spoke with my Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on 4 August and then again on 1 September to urge China to use its influence on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) regime and implement sanctions fully. I welcome China's condemnation of North Korea's activity and its support for the UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs) imposing sanctions on DPRK, including the most recent, UNSCR 2375. As I said in my statement to Parliament on 5 September, China has a unique ability to influence the regime. It is important that they take every measure to fully enforce these latest sanctions and that they use their influence to restrain North Korea and guide its leaders towards a peaceful resolution.

North Korea: UN Resolutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his oral contribution of 5 September 2017, Official Report, column 83, what recent assessment he has made of progress to negotiate a potential new UN Security Council resolution on North Korea; and what the Government's priorities are for specific measures to be included in such a resolution.

Boris Johnson: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to my statement on 11 September, where I welcomed the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council resolution 2375. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-on-adoption-of-unsc-resolution-on-north-korea

North Korea: Sanctions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his oral contribution of 5 September 2017, Official Report, column 84, what the basis is for his estimate of the potential financial cost to the North Korean Government of the implementation of sanctions set out in UN Security Council resolution 2371.

Boris Johnson: The figure provides an order of magnitude for the impact of UN Security Council Resolution 2371, which has been used by partners in the UN Security Council and is consistent with data from global trade databases.

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his oral contribution of 5 September 2017, Official Report, column 83, what the basis is for his scepticism about claims that the North Korean nuclear test of 3 September 2017 involved the successful detonation of a hydrogen bomb capable of being delivered on an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Boris Johnson: ​It is the long-standing policy of the Government not to comment on matters relating to intelligence or national security. We should always be sceptical of claims made by this closed and autocratic regime. This test is however yet another reminder of the grave danger that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea poses.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made on the ability of the Government to gain support at the UN from EU member states for its position on the Chagos Islands of the UK leaving the EU.

Sir Alan Duncan: The vote on the UN General Assembly Resolution 71/292 was a disappointing outcome. Sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory is clearly a matter for the UK and Mauritius to resolve ourselves. Taking this bilateral issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) through the General Assembly is an inappropriate use of the ICJ mechanism. This is reflected in the fact that over half of General Assembly members did not vote in favour of the resolution. We will continue to work with EU and other partners in order to present the UK's position effectively at the International Court of Justice.

Egypt: Saudi Arabia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Egyptian Government on the transfer of Tiran and Sanafir Islands to Saudi Arabia.

Alistair Burt: The transfer of the islands of Tiran and Sanafir is a sovereign matter between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The UK Government has not had any substantive discussions on the matter with the Egyptian Government.

Commonwealth: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government was appointed as a member of the new Commonwealth Youth Ministerial Task Force following the 9th Commonwealth Youth Minister meeting in Uganda, as outlined in point 20 of the Final Communiqué.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK is not currently on the new Commonwealth Youth Ministerial Task Force. The Task Force is made up of 10 members representing the Commonwealth's regions; this includes Malta as the representative for Europe.

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that young people are represented at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in 2018.

Alistair Burt: In April 2018, the UK will host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London and Windsor. The summit will involve three days of forums and the two day Heads of Government Meeting. The Commonwealth Youth Forum is a key part of this, providing an opportunity for the young people of the Commonwealth to debate the challenges they face and develop proposals that will be put to decision makers, ensuring they have a voice in the Commonwealth's future.The agenda for the Commonwealth Youth Forum is developed by an International Taskforce, made up of young leaders from across the Commonwealth and the UK as Host country, working in partnership with the Commonwealth Youth Council.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Agriculture

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what meetings his Department has had with (a) farming unions and (b) devolved administrations to discuss matters relating to farming since June 2016.

Mr Steve Baker: The Department for Exiting the European Union has met a number of stakeholders from the agricultural sector, including the National Farmers Union, National Pig Association, the Country Land and Business Association and the International Meat Trade Association.The Government is also working closely with the Devolved Administrations. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is meeting his ministerial counterparts in the Welsh and Scottish Governments, along with a senior official from the Northern Ireland Executive Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, in late September for on-going discussions on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Further joint ministerial meetings will take place on a regular basis, as well as continued bilateral discussions.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what services his Department has received from the Behavioural Insights Team since his Department's creation.

Mr Steve Baker: The Department for Exiting the European Union has not received any services from the Behavioural Insights Team since its creation.

UK Membership of EU

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, when his Department expects to complete its review of whether Article 127 of the EEA agreement needs to be triggered for the UK to leave the EEA.

Mr Steve Baker: As the Secretary of State said when he addressed the House on 7th September, there is agreement that when we leave the EU, the EEA Agreement will no longer operate in respect of the UK. As such, the Government’s legal position is clear: Article 127 does not need to be triggered for the Agreement to cease to have effect. We are considering what steps, if any, we might need to take to formally confirm our withdrawal from the EEA agreement as a matter of international law.

Attorney General

Rape: Remand in Custody

Diana Johnson: To ask the Attorney General, how many applications were made to extend custody time limits (CTLs) in cases of alleged rape under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 where the defendant was remanded in custody in each year since 2009-10; and on how many occasions the Chief Crown Prosecutor was informed of a failure by the criminal justice system to adhere to CTLs in each of those years.

Jeremy Wright: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not collect data on the number of applications made to the courts to extend custody time limits in cases in which rape is alleged. This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.To assist in the effective management of its prosecution functions the CPS maintains Custody Time Limit Failure Log. Data from that log showing the number of failures in rape cases in each year since 2011/12 for which the CPS was primarily responsible, and as a percentage of the total number of prosecutions in the year, is contained in the table below. In one of the CTLs listed, no application was made to extend. In the remainder, an application was made but refused by the court.Earlier data are not available without incurring disproportionate cost. Data for the years 2009/10 and 2010/11 are not available. 2011-20122012-20132013-20142014-20152015-20162016-2017Prosecutions 3,8643,6923,8914,5364,6435,190CTL failures220312%0.05%0.05%0.00%0.07%0.02%0.04%This data includes prosecution for rape under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and the Sexual Offences Act 1956 where the allegation occurred whilst that legislation was in force.The Crown Prosecution Service does not collect data on the number of alleged rape cases in which the criminal justice system failed to adhere to custody time limits. There will be cases in which a custody time limit is not extended for reasons that do not involve any criticism of the CPS.The Crown Prosecution Service monitors every case prosecuted by the CPS which is the subject of a custody time limit to ensure compliance with the regime.

Rape: Prosecutions

Diana Johnson: To ask the Attorney General, how many complaints the Crown Prosecution Service received on the handling of allegations of rape under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in each year since 2004-05.

Jeremy Wright: ANSWER: ATTORNEY GENERAL: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of complaints received about the handling of allegations of rape under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.It does however hold data about the Victim’s Right to Review (VRR) scheme. A VRR arises where the CPS finalises a case with a decision that qualifies under the scheme. Qualifying decisions are where the CPS:(i) makes the decision not to bring proceedings (i.e. at the pre-charge stage); or(ii) decides to discontinue (or withdraw in the Magistrates’ Court) all chargesinvolving the victim, thereby entirely ending all proceedings relating to them;(iii) offers no evidence in all proceedings relating to the victim; or(iv) decides to leave all charges in the proceedings to “lie on file”. The CPS launched the scheme in June 2013. The table below shows the number of VRR appeals received by the CPS, where the principal offence was identified as a sexual offence, since the Scheme began. June 2013 - March 20142014/152015/162016/17Total VRR Appeals Received143239373453Number of Sexual Offence VRR Appeals Upheld27375324% of Sexual Offences Appeals Upheld18.9%15.5%14.2%5.3%

Rape: Prosecutions

Diana Johnson: To ask the Attorney General, how many cases of alleged rape under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) by police in each year since 2009-10; on how many occasions the CPS pressed charges for those cases in each of those years; and what the (a) average, (b) shortest and (c) longest period of time between referral and charging was for cases which (i) did and (ii) did not lead to CPS charges in each of those years.

Jeremy Wright: The table below shows the volume and proportion of charged suspects in cases flagged as rape during each of the last seven available years. Volume% Total no of cases referred 2009 - 103,23242.1%7,6832010 - 113,38741.7%8,1302011 - 123,21347.1%6,8222012 - 132,88953.5%5,4042013 - 143,62161.9%5,8502014 - 153,64859.2%6,1592015 - 163,91057.0%6,855(Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System)The CPS monitoring of cases involving offences of rape involves the application of a rape ‘flag’ to applicable cases that are recorded on the CPS’ electronic Case Management System (CMS). The CPS definition of rape covers any case where the following offences were considered pre-charge or were subsequently charged:Rape: Section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956Sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13: Section 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956Rape: Section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003Rape of a child under 13: Section 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003Sexual activity with a person with a mental disorder impeding choice: Section 30(3) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003An attempt to commit any of the above offences under the Criminal Attempts Act 1981Incitement or conspiracy to commit any of the above offences.No separate record of the shortest or longest time from the initial request from the police to the decision to charge is maintained on the CMS, nor is any record collated showing the average number of days taken when the outcome of the charging decision is not to prosecute or any other outcome.Rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO) investigations can be highly complex in nature and typically involve the review of a large quantity of evidence. In the vast majority of cases suspects are on police bail prior to a charging decision being made by the CPS and where the police seek a charging decision in such circumstances the CPS cannot authorise charges until the Full Code Test set out in the Code is met. The timeliness of a charging decision is determined by two key factors: how quickly the police can complete the necessary enquiries; and how quickly the CPS can then review the evidence provided by the police and finalise the charging decision.The CPS recognises the distress caused to both complainants and defendants by delays in the charging process and we are committed to improving the timeliness of charging decisions. One of the most significant steps that the CPS has taken in this regard has been to substantially increase the resourcing allocated to the specialist RASSO units around the country which prosecute these cases. Between July 2015 and May 2017 the number of RASSO prosecutors available to make charging decisions rose from 138 to 197. This increased resourcing has contributed to an improvement in the timeliness of charging decisions. The number of RASSO cases awaiting CPS charging advice for between 28 days and 3 months fell by over 46% between March 2016 and March 2017 from 489 to 263 cases. Latest provisional data for July indicates the numbers have fallen still further to less than 130.The CPS is committed to achieving further improvements in timeliness and in May 2017 the RASSO Service Standards were launched. These Standards set out best practice for the management of pre-charge RASSO bail cases between CPS areas and their local police partners. The Standards provide a commitment on the part of the CPS to provide a review of a case within 28 days of submission from the police and sets out an escalation procedure for police colleagues to follow when this target is not met. The Standards also require CPS staff to be actively involved in securing updates from investigating officers where there are significant delays in the police investigation of RASSO cases.

Attorney General: Temporary Employment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, whether requests for consultancy and temporary staff for the Law Officers' Departments must be accompanied by a formal business case.

Jeremy Wright: Requests for temporary staff to be appointed within agreed budgetary provision in the CPS are not required to be accompanied by a formal business case within the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Requests for consultancy staff do require a formal business case within the CPS.The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has not employed any consultants within the past financial year or during the current year. Spend on consultants would require a business case setting out the need for such expenditure to the SFO Finance and HR teams. Requests for temporary staff are agreed when the SFO budget is set at the beginning of the financial year. Any additional temporary recruitment during the year is dependent on discussions with the SFO Finance team and Human Resource team, and on occasion the Chief Operating Officer and would require a business case.At GLD, HMCPSI and the AGO, agency workers are engaged through Civil Service contractual arrangements to cover short term vacancies and to secure specific specialist legal and support skills that are not available in-house. For that reason, a formal business case is not normally required, unless it is for new posts where agreement is required to increase the headcount in that business area to support a project to improve the department. The approval mechanism for consultancy spend is not via a resources board although a request for consultancy would need to be accompanied by a business justification.

Attorney General: Temporary Employment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, what proportion of requests for consultancy and temporary staff for the Law Officers' Departments were approved via a resource board.

Jeremy Wright: During 2016/17 no requests for consultancy or temporary staff for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have been considered by a ‘resource board’.The SFO also does not approve any expenditure for consultants or temporary workers via a resource board.The Government Legal Department (GLD) engages temporary staff through Civil Service contractual arrangements to cover short term vacancies and to secure specific specialist legal and support skills that are not available in-house. It does not use a resource board to approve this form of appointments. Rather, the department’s annual budget for staffing is agreed each year by the GLD Board and formal delegations are made to individual budget holders who then have responsibility for the recruitment and deployment of staff (including temporary staff, where appropriate) within central guidelines. The approval mechanism for consultancy spend at the GLD is not via a resources board although a request for consultancy would need to be accompanied by a business justification. However, there was no consultancy spend in GLD during the last financial year.The AGO have not employed any consultancy or agency staff during 2016/17.Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) discusses and authorises all requests for consultants or temporary staff at their strategic board.

Attorney General: Secondment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, how many applications the Law Officers' Department has received for (a) internal loans and (b) secondments from civil servants in each year since 2010.

Jeremy Wright: The Law Officers’ Departments are committed to the benefits that can be brought for the taxpayer in the delivery of Government objectives from interchange and is always looking for opportunities to develop arrangements which further the delivery agenda of the Department.It is the policy across the Civil Service that where individuals transfer temporarily between our department and another department they move on a loan basis.A temporary move to, or from, an organisation outside the Civil Service is referred to as a Secondment and must be for a minimum of 12 months and normally not exceed two years. Therefore, secondment applications, by definition, will not be received from existing civil servants.The information requested is only available for the CPS from 2014/15 when the current civil service recruitment system was introduced.Number of applications received for internal loans from civil servants:Financial yearCivil servant applications2014/15902015/16462016/171302017/1868In the years since 2010 the SFO has had the following numbers of civil servants on loan from and to other government departments. Number of staff on loan from other government departmentsNumber of SFO staff on loan to other government departments2010/11582011/12142012/13352013/14392014/15562015/16452016/17292017/1819In relation to the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), the Government Legal Department (GLD) and Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI), the following table shows the number of applications for posts that have been advertised to be filled on loan within the Civil Service since April 2012, which is the earliest date for which records are available. GLD specifically does not hold information prior to 1 April 2014 as information on individual recruitment exercises is not required to be held for more than two years. AGOGLDHMCPSI2012/201321No information availableNo information available2013/201478No information available172014/2015145902015/2016241602016/2017124112101/04/2017 to date21181

Attorney General: Assets

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, in which of the last 10 years the Law Officers' Departments have submitted a strategic asset management plan to the Government Property Unit.

Jeremy Wright: The Government Property Unit (GPU) has commissioned Strategic Asset Management Plans (SAMPs) from departments on an annual basis since 2014. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Serious Fraud Office (SFO) are covered as part of the Ministry of Justice’s asset plan.The AGO, GLD and HMCPSI are smaller government departments with limited property assets. As such, they have not been commissioned to prepare a SAMP. Information about their property interests is available in their Annual Reports and Accounts and recorded on the GPU property database (EPIMS).

Attorney General: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, how much the Law Officers' Departments paid to the Behavioural Insights Team in each year since 2014.

Robert Buckland: The CPS has met the Behavioural Insights Team as part of a project to encourage higher rates of defendant engagement with the CJS but have made no payment to the team.Otherwise, the Law Officers’ Departments have not received services from the Behavioural Insights Team.

Attorney General: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, what services the Law Officers' Departments has received from the Behavioural Insights Team since 2014.

Robert Buckland: The CPS has met the Behavioural Insights Team as part of a project to encourage higher rates of defendant engagement with the CJS but have made no payment to the team.Otherwise, the Law Officers’ Departments have not received services from the Behavioural Insights Team.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: HIV Infection

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will publish a list of projects funded by her Department which have been tagged with the HIV/AIDS marker; and what the value of each project was in each of the last three years.

Alistair Burt: The UK is a global leader in tackling HIV and we are proud to be the second largest international investor in the response. The UK’s recent £1.1billion investment to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria makes us the second largest donor during the fifth replenishment period. This support will help provide enough lifesaving anti-retroviral therapy for 1.3million people living with HIV.DFID tracks our spending on HIV/AIDS using sector codes recommended by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) reporting system. This information is published on the Development Tracker website and in Statistics for International Development.

Department for International Development: Procurement

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress her Department has made on its commitment to buy a quarter of its activities locally by 2020.

Rory Stewart: DFID seeks to broaden the supplier base in developing countries by building capability and capacity in the places where we deliver aid, encouraging new entrants and local suppliers.Details of contracts and upcoming tenders can be searched on Contracts Finder (https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder).

Department for Education

Schools: Standards

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of (a) academies, (b) free schools, (c) comprehensive and (d) grammar schools are rated good or outstanding.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to my hon. Friend, the Member for Southampton, Itchen, and a copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

Department for Education: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what services her Department has received from the Behavioural Insights Team since 2014.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We have commissioned various services from the Behavioural Insights Team, including increasing the demand for technical education, as set out by the Sainsbury Panel, supporting communication of the apprenticeship levy, as well as a small scale trial on the impact of diversity messages in apprenticeship vacancies.We have also commissioned the Team to develop (and test) behavioural interventions to encourage high ability students to apply to the best universities, rather than the nearest ones.

Children: Poverty

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the merits of introducing an initiative similar to the Welsh Government's initiative to tackle children's hunger in school holidays.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government will monitor the impact of the Welsh Government’s introduction of the holiday ‘lunch and fun’ scheme.Whilst it is parents who, primarily, are responsible for the health and welfare of their children, we recognise the benefits of providing a healthy school meal to the most disadvantaged children and we are committed to continuing to provide free school meals to those families that need them.In addition, all children in reception, year 1 and year 2 in England's state-funded schools, including academies and free schools, are entitled to free school meals. (Universal Infant Free School Meals)This Government is committed to ensuring that the welfare system is a strong safety net for those that need it; that is why it continues to spend over £90 billion a year on benefits for people of working age.Work remains the best route out of poverty and we are introducing major reforms including Universal Credit to strengthen incentives for parents to move into and progress in work.This Government’s policies means that there are now 608,000 fewer children in workless households compared with 2010.

Schools: Construction

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many sites for new schools were purchased by the Education Skills Funding Agency in the last three years at 60 per cent above the Red Book price; how many of those purchases were investigated by the accounting officer; and if she will make a statement.

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many sites for new schools have been purchased by the Education Skills Funding Agency in each education authority area in the last three years (a) at, (b) below and (c) above the Red Book price; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The department purchases sites for future free schools where it represents value for money. We do not pay in excess of what a site is worth or purchase expensive sites if there are better value for money alternatives in the area.Official market value is subjective and at a specific point in time, we do carry out Red Book Valuations as per Treasury Green Book guidelines but these reports are carried out as a guide to the sites value and are treated as commercially confidential documents.The ESFA acquired 175 freehold sites between 2011 and 2016. On average, they paid 19% above Red Book Valuations for free schools with 20 sites costing 60% or more and 31 sites costing less than the Red Book Valuation. Any site that has been acquired that is 60% above the Red Book Valuation requires the ESFA Accounting Officer and HM Treasury approval.

Free Schools: Southend on Sea

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her most recent estimate is of the funding required to establish a free school in Southend-on-Sea in 2019; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The department has not made an estimate of the funding required to establish a free school in Southend-on-Sea in 2019.The department has provided Southend-on-Sea Borough Council with £20 million to fund new school places between 2011 and 2017 and a further £9.5 million for 2017 to 2020. This includes nearly £5 million for school places the local authority reported were needed for September 2019.Where a local authority has identified that an area needs enough additional places to warrant a new school, it should run a competition to identify potential providers to run the school.Guidance on this process is available on GOV.UK via this link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/establishing-a-new-school-free-school-presumption.

Department for Education: Redundancy Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much has been paid to (a) men and (b) women who left her Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: When numbers are so small that individuals could be identified, identifying details are masked to protect their privacy. Since 31 March 2016, fewer than five individuals have left the Department for Education under an exit scheme and a total of £95,000 has been paid.

Secure Accommodation

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many places for new admissions were available in secure children's homes in England and Wales in each of the last 12 months.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The department publishes data on children accommodated in secure children’s homes on an annual, rather than a monthly basis. As at the 31 March 2017, there were 227 places in use or available for use, with 203 children accommodated in these places, which means there were 24 places available for new admissions. The full statistical release is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-accommodated-in-secure-childrens-homes-31-march-2017.

Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Justice: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what services his Department has received from the Behavioural Insights Team since 2014.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Ministry of Justice has received services from the Behavioural Insights Team since 2014. This has enabled the department to add to its evidence base to support priority government areas.Since January 2011, details of central government contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts published prior to 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archiveThose published after 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Witnesses: Video Recordings

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he expects to complete the roll-out of the Section 28 pilots in Kingston upon Thames, Liverpool and Leeds Crown courts; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Phillip Lee: Section.28 is one of the Special Measures introduced under the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999. It was commenced for vulnerable witnesses under 16 year olds and those lacking mental or physical capacity in Kingston upon Thames, Liverpool and Leeds Crown Court Centres in December 2013. This was extended to under 18 year olds in January 2017, and will be rolled out nationally for all vulnerable witnesses in a phased approach from this autumn. We are also testing s.28 for certain eligible intimidated victims of sexual offences and modern slavery in Kingston upon Thames, Liverpool and Leeds Crown Court Centres this autumn.

Offences Against Children

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether it is the Government's position that no child can consent to their own abuse.

Dr Phillip Lee: The abuse and neglect of children is abhorrent. There is a range of criminal offences and robust sanctions that deal with this cruel and serious offending. A child’s alleged consent to any abusive activity should not be a defence against any criminal offence.A child’s consent to sexual activity is not recognised under criminal law if the child is under the age of 16.

Prisons: Food

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost of food (a) per prison inmate per day and (b) all prison inmates was in each year since 2010.

Dr Phillip Lee: Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), on behalf of the MoJ, is responsible for allocating food budgets to all adult public sector prisons across England and Wales. As the food in each prison reflects the specific needs of the prisoner population locally, the ultimate decision on what is provided and the cost of each meal rests with the individual Governors, and as such, financial data is not readily available. There are separate budget arrangements in place for the private sector prisons.

Youth Custody: Food

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost of food (a) per inmate per day and (b) for all inmates in youth custody was in each year since 2010.

Dr Phillip Lee: Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), on behalf of the MoJ, is responsible for allocating food budgets to public sector establishments in the Youth Custody estate in England and Wales. As the food in each prison reflects the specific needs of the prisoner population locally, the ultimate decision on what is provided and the cost of each meal rests with the individual Governors, and as such, financial data is not readily available. There are separate budget arrangements in place for the private sector establishments.

Youth Custody: Restraint Techniques

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many injuries were sustained by children during restraint in each custodial institution in each year since 2010.

Dr Phillip Lee: The safety and welfare of young people held in custody is our highest priority. Restraint should only be used as a last resort, where there is a risk of harm to self or others, and no other form of intervention is possible or appropriate. Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint (MMPR) has been specifically developed for use by staff working with children and young people in custody. It has been designed so that physical restraint is avoided as far as possible by recognising young people’s behaviour, and by using a range of de-escalation, diversion and behaviour management techniques to help them deal with it effectively and appropriately. MMPR has been implemented, on a roll-out basis since September 2012, in all Secure Training Centres (STCs) and Young Offender Institutions (YOIs). There are no plans to roll this out to Secure Children’s Homes (SCHs), who each have their own restraint procedures. The three tables below provide data, by establishment type, relating to any injury sustained as a result of a Restrictive Physical Intervention (RPI) for each establishment. RPI is defined as “Any occasion when force is used with the intention of overpowering or to overpower a young person”. Overpower is defined as “restricting movement or mobility.   2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/16Secure Children's Home Total204169158156123123Aldine House2121430Atkinson Unit*............Aycliffe423651241514Barton Moss0001325Clayfields21611293216East Moor (Adel Beck)1021535302728Gladstone Unit*............Hillside62991235Kyloe House*............Lincolnshire6161461719Orchard Lodge*............Redbank*202914120..Sutton Place*............Swanwick Lodge715112056Vinney Green17121181810  Secure Training Centre Total397336243247136148Hassockfield*188140788228..Medway1017896542430Oakhill403123343458Rainsbrook688746775060  Young Offender Institution Total566685590309170106Ashfield*4884531....Brinsford*............Castington*2..........Castington (Oswald Unit)*0..........Cookham Wood566128228526Downview*0360....Eastwood Park*1100....Feltham56501991111Feltham (Heron Unit)*2610....Foston Hall*0..........Hindley*13916413112124..Huntercombe*5..........Lancaster Farms*............New Hall*1010....Parc497936241635Stoke Heath*230........Thorn Cross*  Warren Hill*4852712....Warren Hill (Carlford Unit)*0110....Werrington528553231013Wetherby - Keppel Unit1717231424Wetherby6782167932217  Please note:* = The YJB withdrew from this establishment at some point during the time period given... = Not applicable

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Redundancy Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how much has been paid to (a) men and (b) women who have left his Department under exit schemes since its creation.

Greg Hands: Details of the number, type, compensation levels and cost of exits from Department for International Trade are routinely published in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Foreign Investment in UK

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Trade in the Westminster Hall debate of 12 September 2017, on foreign direct investment, what plans he has to introduce trade defence mechanisms; and how he plans to use trade remedies to address any unfair practices undertaken by foreign competitors.

Greg Hands: We will bring forward legislation to put in place the essential and necessary legislative framework to allow the UK to operate its own independent trade policy upon exit from the European Union. This includes introducing legislation for a trade remedies system that will allow the UK to appropriately address alleged cases of unfair practice by foreign companies, while also remaining a champion of global free trade.

Foreign Investment in UK

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Trade in the Westminster Hall debate of 12 September 2017, on foreign direct investment, what plans he has to ensure standards are maintained to prevent market distortion resulting from imports to the UK from markets outside the UK with less stringent regulations and standards than the UK has.

Greg Hands: The Government is fully committed to ensuring the maintenance of high levels of consumer, worker and environmental standards in trade agreements. High standards and high quality are what our domestic and global customers demand, and that is what we should provide.Until we have left the EU, the UK remains a full member of the EU and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force.

Foreign Investment in UK

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Trade in the Westminster Hall debate of 12 September 2017, on foreign direct investment, what investment dispute settlement mechanism he plans to introduce in future trade agreements.

Greg Hands: The UK is currently developing an independent trade and investment policy. As part of this we will be considering our approach to investment protection in future trade agreements and options for associated investment dispute settlement mechanisms.

Ministry of Defence

Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) short-term emergency and (b) medium-term reconstruction aid his Department has provided to people affected by Hurricane Irma.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has been at the forefront of Her Majesty's Government's relief efforts. As of 1100 hrs on 19 September 2017, the MOD had 1,293 personnel in the region. They have provided aid, security assistance, engineering support and support to the civilian government to some of the worst hit areas.Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) MOUNTS BAY was deliberately pre-positioned for the hurricane season and provided assistance as soon as it was safe to do so. She was the right ship, positioned in the right place at the right time. More than 40 metric tonnes of aid has now arrived and is being distributed across the region - including 2,608 shelter kits, which can provide shelter for over 13,000 people, and 2,304 solar lanterns, which can provide essential light and power for over 11,000 people.HMS OCEAN has been redeployed from the Mediterranean to assist in long-term reconstruction efforts - she carries nine helicopters and was supplemented with further aid and reconstruction supplies when she transited through Gibraltar.The situation is continually evolving and we remain flexible - ensuring the most urgent tasks are prioritised. We are working closely across Government, and are aligning efforts with international partners to ensure coordination in the overall humanitarian and reconstruction effort.

Army Reserve: Prestatyn

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has for the Army Reserve Centre in Prestatyn.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: 119 Recovery Company, the primary user of the Army Reserve Centre in Prestatyn, will be vacating the site in the next couple of years. The individual Reservists affected will be assisted to transfer to other units in the region based on their personal circumstances.The Reserve Forces and Cadets Association, the site owner, is in the process of considering the sites future use. This includes determining whether there are other potential Armed Forces users and disposal options. In the interim, the current occupants, including a detachment of Clywd and Gwynedd Army Cadet Force, will continue to use it.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Animal Welfare

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to maintain welfare standards for farm animals after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will convert the existing body of EU environmental and animal welfare law into United Kingdom law. The Government has made it clear that we intend to retain our high existing standards of animal welfare once we have left the EU. We have some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world and we intend us to remain world leaders in the future. Leaving the EU provides us with an opportunity to develop gold standard policies on animal welfare.

Animal Welfare: EU Law

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to recognise animals as sentinent beings in legislation, as in the Lisbon Treaty, after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: The government intends to retain our existing high standards of animal welfare once we have left the European Union. Defra is exploring how the principles of Article 13 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union can apply in the United Kingdom after we have left the European Union. Currently the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will convert the existing body of direct European Union animal welfare law into United Kingdom law, and this European Union law takes into account the principles of Article 13.

Food: Wales

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the Welsh food processing sector's access to labour of the UK leaving the European (a) single market and (b) Customs Union.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on access to labour by the (a) Animal and Plant Health Agency and (b) agricultural sector in Wales of the UK leaving the (i) single market and (ii) customs union.

George Eustice: We remain closely engaged with food and farming sectors across the UK and the Animal and Plant Health Agency to understand and analyse the labour demand and supply, now and when we leave the EU.The Government is considering the options for future immigration system carefully and we will ensure that businesses and communities, including representatives from across the food chain, have the opportunity to contribute their views.

Foxes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what incentives his Department gives to help control fox numbers in the UK.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Wildlife management is a devolved matter so this reply relates to England only. Defra does not offer incentives to help control fox numbers in England and currently has no plans to control the number of foxes. Defra's general policy is that individuals should be free to manage wildlife within the law. The fox is not a protected species so the decision to control them lies with the owner or occupier of the property where the problem occurs. Natural England, on Defra’s behalf, has a team dedicated to providing wildlife management advice to the public, both through written material and directly by telephone.

Game: Antibiotics

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what advice his Department gives to gamekeepers to reduce the use of antibiotics on game birds.

George Eustice: The Veterinary Medicines Directorate has been working closely with the Game Farmers Association (GFA) to raise awareness and foster good stewardship of antibiotics in the sector. The GFA and other sector representatives are committed to bringing down antibiotic use, while ensuring bird health and welfare are preserved. A comprehensive voluntary exercise to measure the use of antibiotics throughout the game sector is being carried out, and antibiotic reduction targets will be announced by the end of 2017.

Avian Influenza

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many avian influenza outbreaks there have been in the UK in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: Recent outbreaks in the UKAvian influenzaLocationHighly pathogenic avian influenzaH5N8 South Norfolk, June 2017(HPAI)H5N8 Lancashire, May 2017 H5N8 Lancashire, May 2017 H5N8 Northumberland, February 2017 H5N8 Suffolk, February 2017 H5N8 Lancashire, January 2017 H5N8 Lancashire, January 2017 H5N8 Lincolnshire, January 2017 H5N8 Lancashire, January 2017 H5N8 Lincolnshire, January 2017 H5N8 North Yorkshire, January 2017 H5N8 Carmarthenshire, January 2017 H5N8 Lincolnshire, December 2016 H7N7 Lancashire, July 2015 H5N8 Yorkshire, November 2014Low pathogenic avian influenzaH5N1 Fife, January 2016(LPAI)H7N7 Hampshire, February 2015

Sheep: Animal Welfare

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking better to control of lamb worrying and to impose greater penalties for people who allow their animals to worry lambs.

George Eustice: Where a dog is worrying livestock, police and local authorities, with the consent of the local police, can pursue a prosecution under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953. This provides a criminal offence where a keeper has allowed their dog to worry livestock and carries a maximum fine of £1000. Defra and the Animal Health and Welfare Board for England (AHWBE) met police forces, farming and rural interests to discuss this issue earlier this year. Under the auspices of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, five police forces are collaborating to pilot more systematic data collection of incidents and good response practices and we look forward to the results of the pilot.

Floods: Insurance

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on providing an affordable insurance scheme for businesses affected by flooding.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The British Insurance Broker Association (BIBA) insurance product, launched in December 2016, provides flood insurance for many small businesses that have struggled to access it to-date. We understand that this new product is already providing insurance and has strong support from brokers. BIBA’s ‘Find a Broker Service’ can help business identify local brokers participating in the BIBA scheme and is accessible through BIBA's website, at: https://www.biba.org.uk/find-insurance/results/?insurance=908 The Government continues to work with commercial interests under the Property Level Resilience Roundtable to promote the uptake of measures that make properties resilient to flooding. These are measures that prevent water entering a property and speeding recovery when it does. One objective is to develop better standards and certification, enabling insurers to take greater account of resilience measures in the future.

Dangerous Dogs: Tagging

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure that dangerous dogs are chipped in (a) Vale of Clwyd constituency, (b) Wales and (c) England.

George Eustice: Since 6 April 2016 all dogs in Great Britain have to be microchipped and registered on a database. We estimate that over 94% of dogs in Great Britain are microchipped. In addition, all dogs on the Index of Exempted Prohibited Dogs (dangerous dogs) are required to be microchipped before being returned to their keepers.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Social Rented Housing

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of social housing in (a) the London Borough of Haringey, (b) London and (c) England.

Alok Sharma: As set out in our Housing White Paper, the Government recognises that this country does not build enough new homes and the National Planning Policy Framework is clear that local authorities, such as the London Borough of Haringey, are expected to identify and plan for the market and affordable housing needs of their area.The Mayor has overall responsibility for housing policy and delivery in London and given that homes in London are the most unaffordable in the country, we believe London must take urgent action to plan for more homes and address the lack of delivery.At a national level the Government is determined to boost housing supply and to build more affordable homes. To support this, at Autumn Statement 2016 we announced an £1.4 billion expansion of the Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme (SOAHP) 2016-21 which increased the overall budget to £7.1 billion. The Government has agreed a £3.15 billion package of funding for affordable housing in London to deliver at least 90,000 new affordable homes by March 2021. So far we have delivered nearly 333,000 new affordable homes since 2010 with one quarter of overall delivery in London (79,300).

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Redundancy Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much has been paid to (a) men and (b) women who left his Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not run its own staff exit scheme. Any departures would be under schemes run by the parent employers of staff; who join the office on assignment, loan or secondment from other government bodies, principally the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government.Due to the small numbers involved, specific details and costs cannot be provided to protect the privacy and identity of individuals concerned.

Free Movement of People: Scotland

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 7297, how many representatives of the hospitality sector have raised concerns about the potential negative effect to the sector of restricted freedom of movement after the UK leaves the EU.

David Mundell: Scotland Office Ministers regularly meet with representatives of the sector to listen, exchange views and address concerns and will continue to do so to ensure the sector can take full advantage of the new opportunities that Brexit will bring.

Domestic Visits: Glasgow East

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 7642, if he or a Minister in his Department plans to attend an official engagement in Glasgow East constituency this year.

David Mundell: I receive a large number of invitations and travel throughout Scotland to meet with stakeholders to discuss a variety of issues on a regular basis. I am always open to considering invitations from Honourable members.

HM Treasury

National Insurance Contributions: Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle

Emma Hardy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in Hull West and Hessle constituency earn under £6,000 a year and make voluntary national insurance contributions through Class 2.

Mel Stride: These figures are not available in the form requested.

Economic Situation

Jim Shannon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the potential effect on the country's gross domestic product of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Stephen Barclay: Government has undertaken a significant amount of work to assess the economic impacts of leaving the EU. This is part of our continued programme of rigorous and extensive analytical work on a range of scenarios on a sector by sector basis. All departments need to prepare not just for a negotiated settlement, but also for the no deal scenario. We are confident that we will secure a deal, but are prepared should there be no deal.

Credit Cards: Debts

Catherine West: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received on the practice of credit card lenders targeting individuals who have unaffordable levels of debt.

Stephen Barclay: Treasury ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sector as part of the process of policy development and delivery.Regulation of consumer credit, including credit cards, is the responsibility of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA conducted a credit card market study in November 2014 and published its final report in July 2016. Following this, it consulted in April 2017 on proposed remedies to tackle persistent debt in the credit card market. The government will continue to work with the FCA to ensure that customers are treated fairly.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Disclosure of Information

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Government departments meet their obligations to publish transparency data in a timely fashion.

Caroline Nokes: The UK Government is among the most transparent in the world and each Department is responsible for publishing a range of data on its activities. We will be working with departments over the coming months to improve the publication process to ensure we continue to meet our obligations in this important area.

Cybercrime: Finance

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the National Cyber Security Strategy, if he will list spending on each project supported by the Cyber Investment Fund.

Caroline Nokes: The Government has allocated £10 million to establish a Cyber Innovation Fund which will support the UK’s national security requirements by providing innovative start-ups with financial and procurement support. This investment forms part of a suite of innovation initiatives within the National Cyber Security Strategy that will develop the cyber security sector and support the UK’s national security requirements in cyber. The mechanism to deliver funding is currently under evaluation in consultation with industry partners.

Cybercrime

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the security ratings for new products set out in paragraph 5.2.6 of the National Cyber Security Strategy were implemented.

Caroline Nokes: The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is considering the need for the right incentives to be in place to build security into internet-connected products and services. The National Cyber Security Centre website provides clear information to consumers directly and via its website, for example on the use of password managers.

Government Departments: Publications

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many publications routinely issued by each Department have had their release date delayed or pushed back since January 2017.

Caroline Nokes: This information is not recorded centrally.

Voting Behaviour

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on likelihood to vote based on distance from polling station for each socio-economic group.

Chris Skidmore: We do not hold any information of the type described.

Cabinet Office: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has given to the Behavioural Insights Team on policy on potential conflict of interest between its clients and Government Departments.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department was informed that the Behavoural Insights Team would open an office in Singapore; whether his Department was aware of the plan to open that office before the team was privatised; and whether that team plans to operate new offices in any other jurisdiction.

Caroline Nokes: I refer the Hon. Member to the reply I gave him on Thursday 14th September 2017, to PQ9181.

Cabinet Office: Freedom of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he has taken to improve the quality and timeliness of his Department's responses to Freedom of Information requests.

Chris Skidmore: Last year, the Cabinet Office responded to 94% of requests in time. This was 3% above the average timeliness of other monitored bodies. In the first quarter of this year Cabinet Office answered 96% of requests in time. The Cabinet Office receives requests for some of the most sensitive information in Government, and must consider the public interest carefully when considering whether it is appropriate to release information in response to those requests.

Cybercrime

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many suppliers have adopted the cyber security standards set out in paragraph 5.3.11 of the National Cyber Security Strategy.

Caroline Nokes: On 1 October 2014, Government required all suppliers bidding for specified sensitive and personal information handling contracts to be certified against the Cyber Essentials scheme. Cyber Essentials is a government-backed scheme to help organisations protect themselves against common cyber attacks whilst demonstrating their compliance with appropriate cyber security standards.As of August 2017 there have been 7,907 Cyber Essentials certificates issued to UK businesses. We do not specifically track the number of certified government suppliers.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Redundancy Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much has been paid to (a) men and (b) women who left his Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Chloe Smith: Details of the number, type, compensation levels and cost of exits from Northern Ireland Office are routinely published in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Culture Media and Sport: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the average number of bids received for each contract put out to tender by her Department was in each year since 2010.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many contracts put out to tender by her Department have been (a) cancelled and (b) re-tendered in each year since 2010.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of public procurement contracts her Department awarded through framework agreements in each year since 2010.

Matt Hancock: The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur a disproportionate cost.

S4C: Public Appointments

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when she expects to appoint new members to the S4C Authority.

Matt Hancock: The intention is to launch a campaign for a number of members of the S4C authority later this year, with new members in place by early 2018.

Big Lottery Fund: Consultants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much has been spent on all consultancy services by the Big Lottery Fund in the last 12 months.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much has been spent on all consultancy services by the Big Lottery Fund in each year since 2010.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much the Big Lottery Fund has spent on HR consultancy in the last 12 months.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much the Big Lottery Fund has spent on HR consultancy in each year since 2010.

Tracey Crouch: The Fund is required to comply with relevant legislation, management statements, financial directions, Managing Public Money, and spend controls. The Big Lottery Fund is led by a non-executive board which has operational autonomy in the procurement of services and in deciding its staffing structure.

Big Lottery Fund: Civil Servants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many civil servants are employed by the Big Lottery Fund in each pay scale.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many civil servants are employed by the Big Lottery Fund.

Tracey Crouch: The Big Lottery Fund is an executive NDPB and in terms of employment rights, was set up as a separate legal entity from the Government and its employees are not civil servants. Information regarding Big Lottery Fund staffing can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/630922/Big_Lottery_Fund_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2016-17_Final_version_for_circulation.pdf

Broadband

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the average length of time is for a (a) commercial property and (b) domestic residence to be connected to a broadband service in each region and nation of the UK.

Matt Hancock: We do not hold these figures. For one provider quarterly data on the average length of time for commercial and residential properties to be connected to Openreach’s network is publicly available from their website at https://www.homeandwork.openreach.co.uk/OurResponsibilities/our-performance.aspx.

Tickets: Sales

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether departmental guidance on the implementation of the Digital Economy Act 2017 will make it clear that section 106 encompasses all methods of mass online harvesting of tickets.

Matt Hancock: Section 106 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 provides the power for government to introduce a criminal offence in order to address the purchase of tickets for a recreational, sporting or cultural event in excess of the maximum permitted where this has been undertaken by the use of automated software ('bots'). The precise nature of the regulations is being developed in consultation with relevant stakeholders and they will be tabled in due course.

Lotteries: Regulation

Amanda Milling: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to bring forward proposals for regulatory reform of the Society Lottery sector.

Amanda Milling: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to publish the proposals from the Gambling Commission for the reform of the Society Lottery sector.

Tracey Crouch: The Government’s response to the CMS Select Committee’s report on society lotteries advised that it intended to explore all the recommendations further, with advice from the Gambling Commission. We are carefully considering the issues raised by the Select Committee and continue to take advice from the Gambling Commission as we consider policy options. We expect that the Gambling Commission will publish their advice in due course, when Government has made an announcement on its conclusions. The Gambling Commission are currently consulting on on increasing provisions around transparency for society lotteries. The consultation closes on 30 September 2017 and can be found here:http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/news-action-and-statistics/Consultations/Open-consultations/Have-your-say-on-changes-to-society-lottery-codes-of-practice.aspx

Swimming Pools: Closures

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate her Department has made of the number of public (a) indoor and (b) outdoor swimming pools that have closed in each of the last five years.

Tracey Crouch: Information on the number of publicly owned indoor and outdoor swimming pools that have closed and opened in each of the last 5 years is available via Sport England’s Active Places Power database which can be accessed here: https://www.activeplacespower.com/ Between 2017 and 2021 Sport England is investing £12.16 million in Swim England to get more people swimming, and £25 million through its Strategic Facilities Fund to construct 21 new state of the art leisure facilities which include swimming pools. We are also setting up an implementation group to explore the recommendations from the school swimming report, including how we can work with local authorities and private operators to make better use of facilities.

Swimming Pools: Repairs and Maintenance

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to promote the restoration of (a) indoor swimming pools and (b) outdoor lidos.

Tracey Crouch: Sport England is the body responsible for making investment decisions on grassroots sports facilities in England and, through its Strategic Facilities Fund, provides capital investment into a range of sport facilities. From 2011 to 2016 Sport England’s Improvement and Strategic Facilities Funds invested £73m in projects across England, incorporating 91 swimming facilities. Of these 91 facilities, 2 were outdoor lidos with the rest indoor pools. Sport England is currently investing £25m from the Strategic Facilities Fund to construct 21 new leisure facilities which include swimming pools. Sport England's Community Asset Fund – which provides grants that can also be used for facilities improvement – has made £400,000 worth of investment in 5 swimming pool projects since it was launched in February 2017.

Swimming

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to promote the uptake of outdoor swimming.

Tracey Crouch: The Government is committed to supporting people to engage with sport and physical activity in whichever ways best suit their needs, lifestyles and habits. Between 2017 and 2021 Sport England is investing £12.16 million in Swim England which is responsible for promoting all types of swimming, including outdoor swimming, to both regular swimmers and those who are new to swimming. Government will also work with the sector to explore the recommendations of the recent school swimming report, which notes the importance of swimming and water safety for children.

Commonwealth: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to uphold the commitment it made at the 9th Commonwealth Youth Ministers meeting in point 14 of the Final Communiqué to ensure the creation of an enabling environment for youth-friendly innovative financial instruments.

Tracey Crouch: This Government has pioneered the use of innovative financial instruments to both tackle social challenges and open up new opportunities for young people. Big Society Capital and Access Foundation continue to support the development and growth of mission led businesses across the country whilst the £80m Life Chances Fund is catalysing the use of locally commissioned social impact bonds to support some of the most vulnerable people in society, including disadvantaged young people.

Radio: Regulation

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to publish the response to the Commercial Radio Deregulation consultation.

Matt Hancock: We intend to publish the government response in due course.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Science

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that proactive and independent scientific advice informs its activities.

Matt Hancock: Policy is based on accurate and objective facts.We ensure scientific advice is available for example by engaging working groups with relevant industry and academic experts; commissioning research and making use of the departments own independent Science Advisory Council.

Commonwealth: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to uphold the commitment it made at the 9th Commonwealth Youth Ministers meeting in point 15 of the Final Communiqué to develop policies and strategies to promote youth and social entrepreneurship and financial inclusion.

Tracey Crouch: Charities and social enterprises play an important role in the government’s mission of building an economy that works for everyone. The government is committed to continuing to support the development of social enterprises, including those run by young entrepreneurs, by supporting social enterprise awareness campaigns, championing procurement for social value, building a robust and sustainable social investment market and expanding the social investment tax relief.

Cosmetics: Video Recordings

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of videos demonstrating skin bleaching on young people; and if she will conduct an assessment of the potential merits of regulating such videos.

Matt Hancock: We have made no assessment of the potential effect of videos demonstrating skin bleaching on young people, and currently have no plans to do so.

Broadband: Dumfries and Galloway

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many properties in Dumfries and Galloway constituency have a broadband service of less than 10mbps.

Matt Hancock: Departmental modelling suggests that approximately 9,400 premises (just under 18%) in the constituency of Dumfries and Galloway have a broadband speed of less than 10Mbps.

Broadband: Dumfries and Galloway

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans are in place to improve access to broadband services in Dumfries and Galloway constituency.

Matt Hancock: The current Phase 1 superfast broadband project covering the 'Rest of Scotland' (excluding the Highlands & Islands) had provided superfast broadband coverage to 500,000 premises by the end of June 2017 and this is scheduled to increase to 572,000 by the end of the contract in December 2018. Superfast coverage for Dumfries and Galloway is expected to reach approximately 82% of premises as a result. Further superfast broadband delivery in Dumfries and Galloway is dependent on the Scottish Government procuring a second broadband contract. The government allocated £20.99 million to support a second contract in February 2014, but the Scottish Government has yet to begin a procurement, and will be the last area in the UK to do so. For premises not covered by superfast broadband, the UK government will ensure universal broadband coverage of at least 10Mbps.

Commonwealth: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to uphold the commitment it made at the 9th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting outlined in point 13 of the Final Communiqué to encourage the private sector to align its business goals with national development objectives and the youth development agenda.

Tracey Crouch: This week the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport chaired the first meeting of the Inclusive Economy Partnership. This is a new initiative that brings together businesses, civil society and Government to address societal challenges including tackling youth unemployment. Key Government youth programmes are also directly supported by the private sector: for example, National Citizen Service is supported by a range of business partners including EDF, Asos and Santander.

Broadband: Dumfries and Galloway

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many residential properties have access to superfast broadband services in Dumfries and Galloway constituency.

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many commercial properties have access to superfast broadband services in Dumfries and Galloway constituency.

Matt Hancock: There is an estimated 41,400 premises that have access to superfast broadband services in the constituency of Dumfries and Galloway, representing approximately 80% of the premises in the constituency. We do not have a breakdown between commercial and residential. Approximately 94% of UK premises have superfast broadband thanks to the subsidised programme, funded by UK taxpayers

Commonwealth: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to uphold the commitment it made at the 9th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting outlined in point 11 of the Final Communiqué to (a) mainstream youth priorities across all stages of policy-making and public spending, (b) ensure that youth priorities are integrated with national development and sustainable financing strategies and (c) adopt youth-sensitive budgeting, progressive taxation and youth-friendly public procurement policies.

Tracey Crouch: This Government is committed to investing in young people and young people’s wide-ranging priorities are addressed across Departments. In the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport we have allocated over £1billion over this Spending Review period to expand National Citizen Service and earlier this month I announced a further £40m Youth Investment Fund.

Commonwealth: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to uphold the commitment it made at the 9th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting outlined in point 12 of the Final Communiqué to recognise the importance of public-private partnerships and innovative financing mechanisms in facilitating youth development.

Tracey Crouch: The £80m Life Chances Fund is supporting the development of a range of locally led social impact bonds that bring together the expertise of the public, private and social sectors to help vulnerable people, including disadvantaged young people, live happy and productive lives.

Commonwealth: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to uphold the commitment it made at the 9th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting outlined in point 10 of the Final Communiqué to evaluate youth programmes.

Tracey Crouch: The government is making significant investments to build the evidence base for youth programmes. We are: funding the Centre for Youth Impact to improve capacity in the youth sector to evaluate programmes; investing £1 million in evaluation of open access youth programmes through the Youth Investment Fund; building a Learning and Impact Hub through the #iwill Fund to improve the evidence on youth social action; and continuing to invest in robust, independent evaluation of the National Citizen Service.

Commonwealth: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to uphold the commitment it made at the 9th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting outlined in point 8 of the Final Communiqué to implement (a) policies that recognise the diversity and inter-sectionality within the youth cohort and (b) investment to address and advance the distinct needs and interests of various groups.

Tracey Crouch: The Government encourages participation of young people from all backgrounds in youth programmes. Achieving a diverse social mix of participants is a core aim of National Citizen Service and young people with Special Educational Needs, disabilities and from BAME groups are consistently over-represented. Our investment in youth social action is helping to close the gap in participation between young people from the most and least affluent backgrounds (the National Youth Social Action survey suggests the gap reduced from 20% in 2014 to 9% in 2016). Furthermore, the £40million Youth Investment Fund is creating opportunities for young people in disadvantaged areas to learn new skills and access positive activities.

Sports: Governing Bodies

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the number of women employed in top jobs on UK sports governing bodies.

Tracey Crouch: On 8 March this year (International Women’s Day) Women in Sport published their Beyond 30% report which showed that 65% of the organisations funded by Sport England and/or UK Sport have more than 25% women on their boards. While this is a significant improvement on 2015, when the comparable figure was just 46%, clearly there is more to be done. This is why the Code for Sports Governance published last October requires funded organisations to adopt a target of, and take all appropriate actions to encourage, a minimum of 30% of each gender on its board. The governance code is mandatory for all sports bodies seeking public funding. National Governing Bodies who do not comply with the code will need to have agreed with the funding body an action plan which sets out how they will become compliant with that requirement by 31 October this year.

Sports: Governing Bodies

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the representation of women in top jobs on UK sports governing bodies.

Tracey Crouch: In December 2015 Government published the sport strategy “Sporting Future” which stated that UK Sport and Sport England would agree a UK Sports Governance Code to strengthen existing commitments. The Code for Sports Governance was published in October last year and requires each funded organisation to adopt a target of a minimum of 30% of each gender on its board. The governance code is mandatory for all sports bodies seeking funding from Sport England and UK Sport.

Swimming: River Thames

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department supports the Thames Bath Initiative.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she or officials in her Department have had with (a) the Mayor of London, (b) local authorities, (c) charities and non-governmental organisations and (d) companies on the construction of a Thames river public swimming bath.

Tracey Crouch: I have not had any conversations about the construction of a Thames river public swimming bath to date. I understand that Sport England are aware of the project, however they have not had any direct involvement. I am keen to support initiatives that aim to get more people engaging in sport and physical activity and I would welcome the opportunity to talk to colleagues about this particular proposal.

Swimming Pools: Prices

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the public have affordable access to public swimming pools.

Tracey Crouch: The Government is committed to supporting people to engage with sport and physical activity in whichever ways best suit their needs, lifestyles and habits. Between 2017 and 2021 Sport England is investing £12.16 million in Swim England, the national governing body for the sport, to get more people swimming, to support local clubs and to help talented swimmers to develop. The setting of pricing and any concessionary arrangements for swimming activity in public facilities is a policy matter for the appropriate Local Authority.

Commonwealth: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to uphold the commitment it made at the 9th Commonwealth Youth Ministers' Meeting outlined in point 5 of the Final Communiqué to implement increased and sustained investment in youth development in line with the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and 2013 Commonwealth Youth Ministers' Meeting communiqués.

Tracey Crouch: The Government has committed over £1 billion to National Citizen Service over the current spending review period and is investing an additional £80 million through the #iwill and Youth Investment Funds to create opportunities for young people to improve their skills and give back to their communities.

Broadband: Wales

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Wales on testing full-fibre broadband in Wales.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with Welsh Government Ministers on testing full-fibre broadband in Wales.

Matt Hancock: We engage regularly with counterparts from the Wales Office and Welsh Government throughout 2017 on the Local Full Fibre Networks programme, and will continue to do so.  In July, we wrote to all local authority leaders, including across Wales, to highlight the upcoming Challenge Fund stage of the programme and invite Expressions of Interest. We received a tremendous response from across the UK, including from Wales.

Commonwealth: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to uphold the commitment it made at the 9th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting outlined in point 2 of the Final Communiqué to empower young people as partners and agents of positive change.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to uphold the commitment it made at the 9th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting outline in point 7 of the Final Communiqué to lead collaboration on improving young people's meaningful participation in national decision-making institutions and processes.

Tracey Crouch: Government provides a grant to the British Youth Council to deliver a youth voice programme, which gives young people platforms to make their voices heard on local and national issues that are important to them. This includes the UK Youth Parliament and the Make Your Mark ballot and the Youth Select Committee. The National Citizen Service (NCS) Trust estimate that participants in the programme have given around 10 million volunteering hours. The Government also supports Step Up to Serve's #iwill campaign, which aims for 60% of young people to be involved in giving back to their communities through social action by 2020.

Broadband

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the current broadband speeds are in the six areas across England and Scotland that the Government plans to use to test full-fibre broadband.

Matt Hancock: The information requested is not available.

Broadband

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what qualifying criteria were used to determine the six areas the Government selected to test full-fibre broadband.

Matt Hancock: The criteria used to identify Wave 1 locations include the learning opportunity, likely success in stimulating investment, project deliverability and suitability, all assessed from information gathered in our January 2017 Call for Evidence and subsequent engagement through 2017.

Commonwealth: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons the Government did not sent a Minister to the 9th Commonwealth Youth Ministers meeting in Uganda to prepare for hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2018; and if the Government will commit to sending a Minister to the 10th Commonwealth Youth Ministers meeting in Jamaica in 2021.

Tracey Crouch: Due to diary commitments the Minister for Sport and Civil Society (with responsibility for youth policy) was unable to attend the 9th Commonwealth Youth Ministers meeting from 31st July to 4th August in Uganda. Officials from the Cabinet Office Commonwealth Team and the Department for International Development were in attendance. Subject to diary commitments a Minister will attend the next meeting in Jamaica in 2021.

Broadband: Wales

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to extend the testing of full-fibre broadband to (a)  Ceredigion and (b) Wales.

Matt Hancock: The Local Full Fibre Networks programme Challenge Fund, which all local bodies across the UK will be able to apply for, will open this Autumn.

Broadband

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons the six areas in England and Scotland were selected by the Government to test full-fibre broadband.

Matt Hancock: The criteria used to identify Wave 1 locations include the learning opportunity, likely success in stimulating investment, project deliverability and suitability, all as assessed from information gathered in our January 2017 Call for Evidence and subsequent engagement through 2017.

Commonwealth: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to uphold its commitment in paragraph 19 of the final communiqué of the 9th Commonwealth Youth Ministers meeting on promoting youth work as a profession through education and training for sectors where youth engagement is important.

Tracey Crouch: The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport conducted a series of regional workshops in March and April with youth sector organisations, local authorities, and other local agencies, including Police and Crime Commissioners and Clinical Commissioning Groups to gather views about the opportunities and challenges facing the youth sector. The evidence gathered at the regional workshops is being considered and used by the Office for Civil Society across its youth policy work and we continue to engage regularly with youth sector leaders.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Redundancy Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much has been paid to (a) men and (b) women who left her Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Matt Hancock: Details of the number, type, compensation levels and cost of exits from DCMS are routinely published in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dcms-annual-report-and-accounts-2016-17 The information in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts includes the Core Department and Agencies.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Pay

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many of her Department's staff had a pay increase (a) above, (b) at and (c) less than one per cent in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Matt Hancock: Departmental pay awards have been applied in accordance with HMT pay guidance.For recent pay awards, the department has paid 1% of the grade median instead of 1% of the actual salary, to ensure employees near the bottom of a pay range receive a proportionately higher award than those near the top. The table below illustrates the number of payroll employees with pay increases as set out in the question. 1st June 2015 to 1st June 20161st June 2016 to 1st June 2017Above 1%5575At 1%126101Under 1%116150

Wales Office

South Wales Railway Line: Electrification

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the electrification of the Cardiff-Swansea railway line.

Alun Cairns: I hold regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport to discuss Wales’ rail infrastructure. From this Autumn, passengers travelling on the Great Western Main Line to and from Swansea will benefit from new, innovative bi-mode Intercity Express trains, experience faster journeys, with each train having an additional capacity of 130 seats. This will improve the travel experience of commuters and passengers and boost businesses in Swansea and South Wales.

Meat: Wales

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the Welsh red meat sector of the UK leaving the European (a) single market and (b) customs union.

Alun Cairns: The Government recognises the challenges and opportunities facing businesses across the UK, including in the red meat sector in Wales, and we’re committed to getting a deal that works for all parts of the UK.We do not seek membership of the Single Market after we leave the EU, but a bold and ambitious Free Trade Agreement as part of a new, deep and special partnership. We start from a unique position with regulatory frameworks and standards that match. We want to have the greatest possible tariff- and barrier-free trade with our European neighbours, as well as to negotiate our own trade agreements around the world. We want to ensure that UK companies have the maximum freedom to trade with and operate within European markets – and to let European businesses do the same in the UK.Last month we published Future customs arrangements: a future partnership paper, which sets out very clearly the Government’s objectives for a new customs arrangement with the EU, and our proposals to achieve them. As we leave the Customs Union, the Government will seek a new and ambitious customs arrangement with the EU that facilitates as frictionless trade as possible in goods between the UK and EU and allows us to forge new trade relationships with our partners in Europe and around the world.

Food: Wales

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the Welsh food processing sector of access to labour of the UK leaving the European (a) single market and (b) customs union.

Alun Cairns: The Government recognises the challenges and opportunities facing businesses across the UK, including in the food processing sector in Wales, and we’re committed to getting a deal that works for all parts of the UK.We do not seek membership of the Single Market after we leave the EU, but a bold and ambitious Free Trade Agreement as part of a new, deep and special partnership. We start from a unique position with regulatory frameworks and standards that match. We want to have the greatest possible tariff- and barrier-free trade with our European neighbours, as well as to negotiate our own trade agreements around the world. We want to ensure that UK companies have the maximum freedom to trade with and operate within European markets – and to let European businesses do the same in the UK.Last month we published Future customs arrangements: a future partnership paper, which sets out very clearly the Government’s objectives for a new customs arrangement with the EU, and our proposals to achieve them. As we leave the Customs Union, the Government will seek a new and ambitious customs arrangement with the EU that facilitates as frictionless trade as possible in goods between the UK and EU and allows us to forge new trade relationships with our partners in Europe and around the world.We will always welcome those with the skills, the drive and the expertise to make our nation better still. We will be setting out initial proposals for a new immigration system later in the autumn.

Department of Health

Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many detentions there were under the Mental Health Act 1983 by each section of that Act in each year since 2010.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information requested is shown in the following table. The Department of Health, with the Home Office, has led the Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat, which brings together both nationally, and in each locality in England, the services and agencies involved in the care and support of people in crisis. These partnerships have worked to reduce the use of police cells for detentions under section 136 of the Mental Health Act. In 2011/12 there were 8,667 such detentions, by 2015-16 this had been reduced by over 80 per cent., to 1,764 detentions.  Detentions under The Mental Health Act 1983 by legal status 2010/11 to 2015/16  All providers 2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/16   All detentions46,34848,63150,40853,17658,39963,622   Detentions on admission to hospital29,55730,90032,22434,80637,70940,785   Detentions under Part II of the Mental Health Act27,33728,63230,25332,78135,44438,873Section 219,16320,93122,47725,30027,75430,627Section 38,1747,7017,7767,4817,6908,246   Detentions under Part III of the Mental Health Act2,1382,1301,7881,8471,9301,6963585107697775403616161622151737 (with S41 restrictions)50852243544848641537 (without S41 restrictions)49345932631530722345A18329747 (with S49 restrictions)43042740441442938547 (without S49 restrictions)40414143603248 (with S49 restrictions)40339837139444046548 (without S49 restrictions)109141135Other sections - 38, 44 and 46152143109121106107   Under previous legislation (Fifth Schedule) and other Acts82138183178335216   Detentions subsequent to admission13,39713,68014,24914,08716,07817,181Informal to 23,3473,3983,9744,0975,0795,678Informal to 34,1994,1143,8953,4834,0774,3035(2) to 22,9733,2643,6013,7074,0154,1215(2) to 32,3092,4372,3612,4142,4892,6315(4) to 27263575456515(4) to 34022414443404 to 24013442802602773314 to 3563840284226   Detentions following use of Section 1362,3762,5822,4262,8823,1854,099136 to 21,9482,1422,1352,5872,8823,660136 to 3428440291295303439   Detentions following revocation of Community Treatment orders1,0181,4691,5091,4011,4271,557Notes: The 'all detentions' figure excludes:Short term detention orders under Sections 4, 5(2) & 5(4) or 135 & 136;Detentions following the use of Section 135 (the KP90 form does not collect changes from Section 135 to 2, or Section 135 to 3); andDetentions following recalls from conditional discharge (these are out of scope of the current KP90 collection). Section 136 uses in police custody suites (the KP90 collection is from healthcare providers only). Source: KP90 - NHS Digital

Hyperactivity

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to improve the (a) diagnosis, (b) early intervention and (c) treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and attention deficit disorder (i) in general and (ii) specifically for girls.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department has asked the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to update its clinical guideline on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The draft guideline, which was published for consultation on 6 September, provides evidence based recommendations on the diagnosis and management of ADHD in children, young people and adults. The draft guideline recognises that this condition is less likely to be diagnosed in girls and women or that they may be given an incorrect diagnosis as they are more likely to present with symptoms other than hyperactivity. The guideline advises practitioners to be alert in such circumstances to the possibility of ADHD. We expect clinical commissioning groups to take account of clinical guidelines published by NICE when commissioning services for their local populations. Whilst clinical guidelines are not mandatory, adherence to them will support improvements in the quality of care and services.

Nurses: Schools

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many practising school nurses there were in each of the last 10 years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: School nurses can be employed by a range of organisations including health trusts and, more recently, local authorities. Current data collections do not cover the complete range of these organisations. As a result, it is not possible to provide accurate data on the total size of the school nurse workforce. The data in the table below presents statistics on school nurses employed by National Health Service trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in England only. NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): Qualified Nurses working in the area of School Nursing in NHS trusts and CCGs in England as at 30 September each specified year and 31 May 2017 (full-time equivalent). All registered (qualified) nurses working in the care setting of School Nursing (full-time equivalent)20072,22520082,60620092,91520102,93320112,92820122,73020132,77220142,76320152,71520162,570May-20172,433 Source: NHS Digital, Provisional HCHS monthly workforce statistics. Note: Due to the change in methodology figures for 2007 and 2008 are not directly comparable to figures from September 2009 onwards.